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How Do Cultural Differences Impact the Web Design Process?

Author: Eleanor Hecks

Designing websites for audiences of different cultures can be complex, as it requires a deep understanding of how they influence design preferences and user experiences. Yet, web designers can create meaningful digital experiences by adapting their approach. Cultural differences majorly impact web design, and several strategies can help navigate these challenges.

The Influence of Culture on Web Design

When designing for a global audience, designers must remember that cultural differences go beyond language. Every aspect of a website can garner alternate perceptions based on cultural values and norms.

For instance, when it comes to visual aesthetics, Western cultures often lean toward minimalist designs. They prefer clean lines, ample white space and simple color schemes. Conversely, many parts of Asia have visually stimulating websites with bright colors, dense layouts and intricate details.

In North America, users expect streamlined navigation with a focus on speed and functionality. However, in regions where relationship-building is central — like some Middle Eastern cultures — websites may include more social elements. These components typically involve an integration of collaboration and personalized content. Cultural differences impact web design in various ways, and designers must adapt to them to build trust and engagement.

Cultural Considerations in Web Design

To design for a global audience, web designers should have a deep understanding of cultural preferences and practices. This involves a few key considerations, such as language and localization. Beyond merely switching languages, localization means adjusting the design to reflect cultural differences, such as regional symbols, idioms and colors.

Cultural backgrounds also heavily influence reading patterns and website layouts. In Arabic regions, people read from right to left, which differs from Westerners. Therefore, everything from menu placement to scrolling behaviors should align with the website’s intended audience.

Lastly, symbolism and meaning are crucial. From images to icons, each can carry varying connotations across cultures. For instance, a thumbs-up can be positive in one culture but may be offensive in another. While gaining this understanding of symbolic meanings may take time, designers can ensure they use symbols that communicate the right message.

Designing for Clients of Different Cultures

When designing with cultural differences in mind, web designers must adapt their approach to ensure the final product resonates with diverse audiences. Several key strategies are available to help.

1. Research Cultural Norms and Preferences

Before starting any design project, researching the culture is essential for attracting the client’s target audience. This includes studying popular design trends, color symbolism and cultural attitudes toward technology.

In Japan, communication tends to be more contextual and reliant on shared understanding. This can affect how a designer presents content on a website. However, the U.S. and Germany prefer direct communication, where clarity and straightforwardness are key. Web designers should understand these preferences to align the site with users’ visual and emotional expectations.

2. Structure Client Meetings for Participation

Effective communication is critical when working on site designs across cultures, especially when face-to-face meetings are impossible. For example, it can be hard to understand someone on the other line of a phone call when facial expressions and body language are nonexistent.

Therefore, it is important to structure meetings with international clients to encourage participation. Particularly when access to nonverbal feedback like body language is limited, people with marginalized identities or those from more reserved cultures often find it harder to jump into discussions during phone calls. To mitigate this, incorporate nonverbal communication such as chat functions or reactions, or specifically invite others to chime into the conversation. This ensures everyone can share their input and create a more productive meeting with clients.

3. Use Flexible Design Frameworks

Designers should allow for flexibility in their frameworks to meet the needs of different cultures. This means creating layouts, color schemes and features professionals can easily adapt to suit various audiences. A modular design that allows for changes in visual elements makes it easier to cater to specific regions without starting from scratch.

4. Study the Six Dimensions of National Culture

Geert Hofstede’s six dimensions of national culture include cultural insights such as power distance, masculinity versus femininity and uncertainty avoidance. These dimensions appear on world maps and provide a valuable understanding of how cultural values shape behaviors.

In turn, these dimensions help designers comprehend how users interact with websites. For instance, cultures with higher power distance mean hierarchical structures are more common, so formally structured websites are preferable.

5. Use Testing and Feedback

Testing and gathering feedback are surefire ways to understand whether a design is relatable. Conduct usability tests with users from the target culture and solicit input on key design elements. This will uncover cultural blind spots and allow a website to evolve in a way that meets audience expectations.

Adapting to Cultural Differences in Web Design

Cultural awareness and adaptability are key in designing for global audiences. Take the time to understand peoples’ norms and streamline the process using a flexible design framework. Leveraging these strategies will strengthen the workflow and strengthen relationship-building with clients worldwide.

Wireframe vs. Mock-up vs. Prototype: Differences and Use Cases in Design

Author: Eleanor Hecks

Design is an ever-changing field, as trends shift and more people go online. Twenty years ago, very few businesses had a digital presence compared to the millions operating brick-and-mortar stores. Today, most companies of all sizes have websites. Because each brand has a unique focus and customer base, determining the best design methods for each client requires meticulous planning.

You must fully understand a business’s needs before developing a website, app or product. How you set things in motion depends on the end user and company goals.

What Are the Differences Between Design Frameworks?

According to Cognitive Market Research, the global web design market is worth an estimated $56.8 billion and will grow 8.5% annually through 2031. With a growing market comes a lot of competition for design work. The more organized you are with your processes, the happier your clients will be and the more referrals you’ll get.

You may use one or more methods to design a site. Understanding what each does and when to utilize it allows you to move between structures and present a viable product to your clients. It’s also easier to make big changes during the planning stage.

Wireframes

Wireframes are one of the most commonly used formats in design. In its simplest form, the wireframe shows the basic layout plan for the site and features that may be added. They work great for early collaboration to get a vision in place for the finished design.

This stage is about effectively communicating the basic ideas of the site effectively to stakeholders, as getting a client on board with the overall design sets the tone of the entire project.

Mock-ups

A mock-up shows the aesthetics of the design and gives the client some things to consider. These are often utilized to show options for the finished product. They are usually based on the wireframe and contain the basic look agreed upon but include a lot more detail, graphics and colors to begin bringing the design to life.

Here, a designer’s job is to do more than just present a visual — the designer essentially becomes a verbal and visual storyteller that narrates to the client how each element will look and function together to meet user needs. As 60% of an innovation leader’s role lies in effective storytelling, and first impressions are 94% design-related, this phase could arguably be the most important when getting clients on board with a final design.

Prototypes

A prototype is usually the final stage before approval. It gives you a chance to test that everything works as intended. Some people call this a staging phase. The client can interact with the interface and see how it functions.

This phase mainly involves guiding clients through different scenarios and use cases, demonstrating the site’s value and effectiveness at meeting consumer needs. It gives the designer’s clients a final chance to ensure they feel confident with their investment before moving forward.

Examples of How to Use Each Type of Model

Most designers will use all three at various stages of the design process. To better understand how each functions, consider a mock design job and see how the designer moves through the different phases of the project.

Phase 1: Concept

The designer meets with a new client and collects ideas to determine what they want for their website design. The customer signs a contract and the designer gets to work. After a bit of research into the industry and what competitors offer, they use a wireframe to lay out what the website will look like.

The client receives a rendering that shows the different pages that will be on the site, as well as the navigation structure and content. Any special features of the design plans for the site are also laid out in the image. Some back and forth tends to happen at this stage.

Phase 2: Aesthetics and Tweaking

Once the client approves the basic concept, the designer gets to work coming up with a design that matches the brand’s personality. They use the wireframe to lay out a background, hero image, icons and headings.

The website is starting to look more like a site, but the elements of the design are not yet clickable or interactive. The client still receives a two-dimensional image for their consideration. At this juncture, they may have a few style changes.

Phase 3: Testing and Final Approval

The final phase of the design process usually moves the concept into a prototype. Webpages are created in a staging area that the designer, client and key players can access.

The designer clicks through each link or button to ensure the site functions as intended. They may also run tests at this time to see how long the pages take to load and what the overall impression from the target audience is. Work is ongoing after approval because the designer must ensure the client is happy with how the site functions.

Use Each Tool at the Right Time

The key to successfully using wireframes, mock-ups and prototypes as a designer is tapping into them at the appropriate time. A strong wireframe can help you sell the website or app concept to a lead, but the prototype shows just what you’re capable of designing and why it will help your customer’s business.

Optimized UX in Backend Software: 4 Principles of Intuitive Design for Internal Tools

Author: Eleanor Hecks

Many small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have internal tools like administrator panels, dashboards, approval queues and data entry platforms. However, just because these technologies are common does not mean they typically look good or are easy to use. How can decision-makers apply the principles of intuitive backend design to their user experience (UX)?

The Importance of a Well-Designed Backend

Many business leaders deprioritize the look and feel of internal tools because they believe the consumer-facing user interface (UI) is the only one that matters. While the assumption that software for employees is somehow less important may seem harmless, it can significantly impact productivity and morale.

Software developers can hardly concentrate when they bounce between pages, documents and platforms for one project. Research shows that resuming an interrupted task takes roughly 25 minutes on average, affecting productivity. As a result, businesses take longer to release updates and complete requests.

Clutter complicates things. Even seemingly straightforward tasks can be tedious if employees lack well-designed backend software. In addition to being time-consuming, it makes them error-prone. For example, they may cause version control issues when changing their copy of a file without updating the original.

While there’s never a perfect time to revisit backend software design for employees, many SMBs are already planning to make changes to their technologies. One study found that the organizations they surveyed were far more likely to adopt new technologies or migrate their existing systems to the cloud in 2023 than in the past. As more businesses continue to follow this trend and update their software or move to cloud-based technologies, the upcoming changes create a great opportunity for optimizing internal tools’ UX in the process.

Principles of Intuitive Design for Internal Tools

Standardization is one of the leading design principles for backend software. Layouts, colors, patterns, placements and shapes should be similar across employee-facing platforms to minimize the amount of onboarding and upkeep needed. Any new hire should be able to train on the fundamentals of one tool and readily apply it to others.

Another one of the most essential principles involves context awareness. Unlike consumers, employees will use internal tools for hours at a time — the average person spends over 6.5 hours on their screen daily. Relevant design decisions like adding dark mode or incorporating keyboard-friendly navigation are key.

Employees — especially those who work remotely with their setups — may access internal tools in unconventional ways. You must be prepared, whether they have a dual monitor setup or use a laptop. Consider how aspect ratio and display size affect text scaling, scrolling and button size.

Maintenance is another principle of intuitive backend design. Around 57% of developers state their company has at least one full-time employee dedicated to maintaining internal applications, meaning 43% do not. What happens when they quit? Do development operations fall into disrepair? Assign someone — or two people since redundancy is a lifesaver — to this role.

5 Tips for Making Internal Tools More Intuitive

Follow these tips to ensure you create a unified, optimized backend UX for employees:

  1. Don’t Design for the Sake of It

Overdesign has been the cause of death for many a good UI. You don’t need over-the-top animations or transitions for an intuitive, appealing UX. Your strategic use of colors, layouts and design elements is enough to make the tool attractive and enjoyable to use. Prioritize functionality above all else and allow aesthetics to come naturally to you as you progress.

  1. Track Backend-Specific Metrics

Setting and tracking a baseline enables you to address pain points as they emerge and optimize for usability. Track backend-specific metrics like productivity, mouse movement and click volume. Your goal should be to minimize the work developers must do before they can complete a task.

  1. Try to Accommodate Edge Cases

Your team will occasionally encounter unexpected situations. For example, what happens when they need to approve a request, but the person with authorization is out of office? That scenario is basic, but it gets the point across. Accounting for and accommodating edge cases during the initial design phase prevents operational hiccups later.

  1. Source Feedback From Users

When it comes to ease of use, feedback is everything. Real-world usability testing should be a core component of UX optimization because a live environment differs significantly from staging. Ask your team what they like and dislike about their internal tools’ UI, getting specifics on what they would change.

  1. Let Developers Request Features

As employees get used to the new UX, they will want additional features, options and shortcuts. Create a framework that lets them request these things, and incorporate the most popular. Minor personalization can be beneficial if you have multiple teams with their own codebases, technology stacks and release schedules.

The Bottom Line of Optimizing Backend UX

These design principles and tips can help you optimize your UX, ensuring backend employees can use internal tools effectively. Remember, big changes like these take time — do not feel concerned if your metrics seem to slide back initially. Eventually, if you make the right decisions, you should see gains.

7 Small But Vital Website Accessibility Features to Build Into Your Designs

Author: Eleanor Hecks

People of all ages, abilities and walks of life use the internet for conducting business, tracking finances and shopping. Adding a few small changes can make your site friendlier to users and help you comply with legal standards set by the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and other regulations. Here are some simple changes even the smallest businesses can make today.

1. Dark Mode Toggle

The Nielsen Norman Group looked at dark mode, mobile usability and user preferences. Around one-third of respondents said they use dark mode and one-third use light and dark at various times.

Dark mode offers better clarity for people with visual impairments such as cataracts and can also reduce eye strain for those on screens much of the day. However, it can make things harder to read for others, such as those with certain types of color blindness. Giving users the choice of light or dark mode via a toggle is a great way to improve accessibility for people with all kinds of visual preferences.

2. Alt Text

Adding alternative text is an excellent habit website owners should get into. Those using screen readers won’t know what an image is if you don’t add alt tags, which should clearly describe what is in the photo.

Put yourself in the shoes of someone who is legally blind. What do they need to know about the photo to get the most out of the experience?

3. Language Availability

The global aspects of online shopping mean you may need to offer your site in more than one language to meet the needs of all your users. Failure to do so could mean missing out on a significant portion of your customer base, as 76% of customers are more likely to purchase a product if they can view information in their native language.

Offering an easy way for users to click a tab to read the text in another language can be a great way to break language barriers and make your content more accessible for all.

4. Keyboard Operation

Those with mobility issues may need to use a keyboard rather than a mobile device to access your website. In a time when mobile-first design is popular, remember to test the desktop version with a keyboard hooked up.

Users should be able to use the space bar and arrows to move from one spot on the page to the next. The enter key can help them select an interactive element.

5. Contrast

Around 90% of a user’s first impression comes from color choices. Having the right balance of contrast helps those with visual impairments view your page without strain. Someone with color blindness may have trouble deciphering between two blue shades but can see things clearly when you use blue and white with strong shade differences.

Contrast makes text more readable for everyone and can make a call to action (CTA) button pop. Grab user attention by surrounding the CTA with white space to make it stand out even more.

6. ARIA Landmarks

Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) are HTML codes that set a page structure. Screen readers can use the details to better navigate the order of elements on a page and tell users what section they are in.

7. Direct Language

In the early days of web development, some designers thought it would be cute to have themed pages and navigation. For example, a site about pirates might have an area called “booty” to indicate shopping. Unfortunately, indirect language makes it difficult for those with cognitive problems or secondary languages to understand what they’ll find when they click on the link.

It’s much better to use simple, clear directions so users know what they are navigating to. Stick with first- and second-person commands using active verbs, such as “Get Info on Garages,” or “Shop Now.” By doing so, you’ll avoid situations where people grow confused and bounce away to a competitor’s site.

Little Changes Make a Big Impact

Small fixes can make your site more accessible to those falling under ADA rules. It also shows your customers you care about their experience and are willing to add elements that help them navigate your site easily.

Test everything to ensure it works on various devices and with software that reads for them. A little extra function goes a long way toward an excellent user experience.

6 Legal Requirements to Keep in Mind When Designing Company Websites

Author: Eleanor Hecks

When designing websites for companies — particularly those with specific regulatory bodies — ensuring compliance is paramount. Whether operating in health care, finance or legal sectors, these businesses must handle a web of regulations and legalities to protect their users and themselves.

While website design considers general legal standards — such as data privacy laws and accessibility guidelines — certain industries are subject to additional ordinances that companies must adhere to.

1. ABA Compliance

For law firms and legal practitioners, adhering to the American Bar Association (ABA) guidelines is critical to consider when designing a website. The ABA sets a range of ethical rules that govern law practice, including advertising and communication with the public.

One concern is ensuring all information presented on a legal website is truthful and not misleading. This includes:

  • Clear disclosure of attorney qualifications.
  • No exaggeration of past successes.
  • Avoidance of creating unjustified expectations for potential clients.

Additionally, attorneys must clarify that any information provided does not constitute legal advice and an attorney-client relationship.

2. Disclaimers

Disclaimers help businesses communicate the limitations and scope of their product’s benefits. For instance, if the company is in the health foods and beverages industry, it must follow regulations set forth by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Typically, disclaimers on these websites clarify that the products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any diseases. They also often include statements that the FDA still needs to evaluate the claims made about the products.

This is especially crucial when the products contain ingredients marketed as having health benefits. Moreover, disclaimers should always advise customers to consult with a health care provider before making changes to their diet. Doing so will reduce legal liability and increase customer trust.

3. Labor Law Postings

Labor law postings are crucial for compliance — they keep employees informed of their rights and responsibilities under the law. Traditionally, you would see these notices displayed in a physical workplace. Yet, the labor market has shifted since the rise of remote work, so recent changes require new communication methods.

States across the U.S. are starting to implement labor law posting requirements for company sites. For example, Illinois employers must now provide four labor law notices to remote workers via the company’s website or intranet, while New York employers must provide digital versions of all labor law posters through either their website or email.

The postings should include information on minimum wage, equal pay, child labor and rights under the Wage Payment and Collection Act, among others. For businesses operating out of these states, ensuring these notices are easily accessible on their website is key to compliance.

4. HIPAA Compliance

Health websites that handle sensitive health information are subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements. HIPAA compliance is crucial for any website operated by health care providers, insurance companies and other entities involved in patient information management. This compliance ensures that protected health information (PHI) is confidential and secure.

The key aspects of HIPAA compliance for health websites include:

  • Secure transmission protocols
  • Health data security
  • Strict access controls

Additionally, HIPAA mandates that health websites have clear privacy policies detailing how patient information is collected, used and shared. These policies should also include procedures for obtaining patient consent before using or disclosing their information for non-treatment purposes.

5. Data Security Controls

In the financial industry, banking institutions are custodians of highly sensitive information. To guard this data against breaches, these companies must adhere to stringent regulatory frameworks such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

Regulations like these mandate security measures to keep data encrypted and prevent unauthorized access. Approximately 62% of companies in the U.S. have already recognized this need and have started investing in cybersecurity to remain compliant. For example, financial institutions ensure they implement multi-factor authentication to verify user identities and reduce the risk of fraud.

6. HTTPS

Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is essential for ensuring the safe transmission of data between the user’s browser and the website. Implementing it encrypts sensitive information, making it more difficult for data misuse.

E-commerce websites must have this system, especially since they deal with online transactions. Without it, unauthorized parties can access customers’ credit card information, personal details and login credentials.

The PCI DSS requires compliance for this. Otherwise, businesses exposed to security breaches are legally liable, so they must enable HTTPS on their websites.

Ensuring Compliance and Trust in Specialized Industries

Building websites for companies with legal needs requires a thorough understanding of industry-specific regulations. Regardless of the sector they operate in, it pays to take the time to research the laws and how to meet legal obligations. Additionally, the online world is constantly evolving, so staying informed about legal compliance is essential for long-term success and integrity.

5 Web Design Must-Haves When Building for a Client on a Budget

Author: Eleanor Hecks

Web designers work with a wide range of clients with varied budgets. Startups and small businesses may need to keep costs down while utilizing their digital presence to attract more customers. Stay within a price range by considering must-haves for any website and sticking to some out-of-the-box solutions.

Example of How a Designer Might Keep Costs Low for Clients

The best way to understand how to keep costs low is to look at a mock scenario. Say a designer has a new client with an extremely tight budget. The client is an app developer bootstrapping their brand. To give them a professional website for less money, the designer encourages the client to go with a content management system (CMS) such as WordPress.

The brand can use a ready-made theme and customize it with a new logo and the language. The client can save the designer time and themselves more funds by coming up with their own copy that the designer simply plugs into the template.

As the business grows, they can customize colors, layout and content a bit more. In the early days, however, ready-made solutions can give them a presence on a shoestring.

Website Must Haves and Tips to Keep Costs Low

The United States government estimates 13 million more users started using the internet between 2021 and 2023. Thus, having a website presence is a must these days for business owners to reach new clients when they begin their search for a product or service like they offer. The quickest way to reach your target audience is online, but marketing can be costly.

A client with a low budget may not be able to afford custom content, added features or even a shopping cart. You can instead give them a single landing page and a few other elements to offer a professional edge and get the word out about their brand.

Here are the musts for a new website design and some ideas for giving your client an amazing design for less.

1. Create a Cohesive Theme

The first plan of attack needs to be a cohesive theme that repeats throughout the design. If you build a single page, it should look similar all the way to the bottom. For sites with multiple pages, each should have a similar layout and appearance.

Designers building a site on a CMS platform can go with a ready-made theme that instantly creates cohesion. When designing with HTML or PHP, create a template first and base every page off the same template whenever possible so they appear the same.

2. Plan for Future Upgrades

When starting small, the company will likely not have enough money for the additional features they may want to add in the future. For example, they may want future online shopping capabilities that aren’t in their budget yet.

There are many reasons for this, particularly related to economics — according to a 2023 Federal Reserve report, banks have tightened their standards for business lending, making loans less likely. Thus, many startups are bootstrapping their funding as they go along, raising money from private investors, working side jobs and reinvesting revenue into the business.

Startups can bootstrap their website by starting small and expanding when the owners can afford. Design a simple structure now while making it upgradable to add other features when the business is able.

3. Focus on the Logo

One thing that makes a business stand out and gives it a brand identity is the logo. If a client has extremely limited funds, focusing on a relevant logo design that will stand the test of time is a good investment.

A logo should be a fairly inexpensive design for most businesses and can be used immediately on social media pages, signage and a website. An otherwise plain website design becomes more interesting when the logo is fabulous.

4. Know the Audience

The aesthetics of the website must appeal to the target audience. A finance company serving retirees will need a different design than a clothing brand trying to appeal to millennials and Gen Zers.

Pay attention to current trends, such as how both millennials and Zoomers have embraced the nostalgia of Y2K aesthetics. The better you understand your client’s intended audience, the better the design will be.

5. Trust Factors

Most clients with an extremely tight budget will be startups. The owners are still trying to build brand reputation. Look for ways to ramp up the trust factors on the site so new visitors see they are a legitimate business and will be more willing to spend money with the company.

Some trust factors to add include contact information, About page and testimonials/reviews. The key is to show the business is an authority in their field and the user can get in touch when needed.

Communication Is Key

A low budget means less services and semi-customization options. Your new client may have looked at your portfolio and gotten the idea they’re getting a highly customized site for less money. Make sure you outline clearly what is and isn’t included for the price quote. Explain any added elements will result in additional fees. You may even want to highlight some sections to ensure the customer understands what you’ll do for the amount they’re paying.

Good communication and going a bit above and beyond can lead to a lifelong relationship. The new business will hopefully thrive and bring you along as their budget increases.

How Effective Are Single-Page Agency Websites in 2024?

Author: Eleanor Hecks

Is a single-page website still a good solution for agencies in 2024? Businesses can make one-page sites effective if they are engaging and have the proper focus. Users may find them easier because everything they need is in a single location. Keeping visitors on the site when there are limited elements or they must scroll can be challenging. Fortunately, keeping users moving through the sales funnel is easy with a few rules of thumb.

1. Put Mobile Responsiveness First

Many companies now design sites for mobile first to ensure they function as well for smartphone users as desktop visitors. Mobile responsiveness ensures everyone has an excellent experience on your site. Images should scale to fit a smaller screen, and text must remain readable.

Forbes reported that the average person spends around four hours a day on their mobile devices. By comparison, they spend around an hour on their desktops. Many experts expect more people to use their small screens to get online in the future. It makes sense to focus on mobile usage for intuitive design.

2. Consider User Experience (UX) for Target Audience

Who is your target audience? Knowing their demographics can help you decide the best layout for a single-page site or if you should create multiple pages. You should also think about how difficult the audience is to reach. If you rely on search engine results pages to drive traffic to your site, you may want to reconsider the single-page website.

Multiple pages naturally give you more opportunities for better search engine optimization (SEO). Web browser crawlers look for keywords related to the person’s search. Although algorithms are much more sophisticated than before, you still limit your ability to attract traffic by limiting how many keywords you can fit on one page without seeming spammy.

3. Find the Right Structure

When using a single page, presentation matters more than ever. You must grab users’ attention and keep it until they convert into leads, all while making sure the page doesn’t become cluttered or too long.

Your agency website is basically a sales presentation. And you only have one page worth of content to convert your readers. So, it’s vital to make the most of the space by structuring the information on your site in the most compelling way possible. The layout should mimic the structure of a strong sales presentation, including a compelling beginning narrative, an engaging middle and a powerful closing CTA.

4. Add Interactive Elements

Check your bounce rates. Do people land on your page and immediately leave? Ideally, they’ll hang around, look over your page and then interact with your calls to action (CTAs). Keep them scrolling a single-page design by adding interactive elements throughout.

Offer a video that entertains and educates. Ask people to click on a button for more details. You can also add features such as animated arrows pointing down the page. Your CTAs should use strong language that commands attention. Use active verbs and short phrases. Button colors should contrast with the background to grab notice.

5. Stick to a Visual Hierarchy

Lay your site out in a way that makes sense to someone visiting it for the first time. A visual hierarchy shows users what information is most crucial. For example, you might have an H1 title and H2 headings to break up sections. You can use a particular font and typeface style for links and CTA buttons.

Remember that most people use an F-pattern when viewing a page. The most crucial information should go in the upper left-hand corner of the page. A few people use a zig-zag pattern. You should study heat maps and details for your website to be sure that the F-pattern design is the best way to lay out your page.

6. Place CTAs Strategically

Where you place your CTAs can be the difference between a page design that brings new customers and one where they bounce to a competitor’s site.

Many single-page agency sites offer a CTA at the top of the page so those who already know they want a consultation or service can immediately contact them. They also frequently place a CTA just above the fold and again at the bottom of the page.

You’ll have site visitors who fall into different categories of readiness. One might be in the information-gathering stage, while another is already at the decision stage. Add elements to your page for wherever they might be in their process so you reach different buyer personas.

Should You Create a Single-Page Site?

A single-page agency site can save money as it’s easier to design and maintain. Although you’ll run into some drawbacks with SEO and providing detailed information, you’ll benefit from getting right to the point. Consider the goal of the page and what you want users to do. With a clear focus and regular A/B testing, your one-page design can be as effective as a more complex website.

6 Essential UX Tips for Creating a High-Converting Mobile Payment Page

Author: Eleanor Hecks

Converting mobile site visitors into customers requires careful planning, testing and development. The user experience (UX) can make or break your sales. Even if your desktop website is successful, you can still fail on the mobile front. Follow these high-converting mobile payment page UX tips to ensure your smartphone visitors can buy from you without missing a beat.

1. Find a Single Goal

One error many e-commerce sites make is trying to do too much on the checkout page. Once the user hits the final step of the buyer’s journey, you should have a singular objective — to complete the sale. Anything that distracts from that needs to be removed.

Cut unnecessary clutter, ensure all links work as intended and keep only the form fields needed to fulfill the order. Ask what would make checkout easier for users. Can you add payment options, for example?

2. Offer One-Click Checkout

Cornell research found around 70% of customers leave a site before paying. However, one-click buying increased consumer spending by 28.5% and encouraged shoppers to visit more frequently. Adding this option to your store can improve UX by reducing the time needed to purchase.

For example, users might click on a PayPal link and utilize already stored information rather than inputting their name, address and credit card information. They might feel more secure sharing these details with trusted third parties, like Square, PayPal, Apple or Google.

Some retailers offer their own registration with the promise of future one-click purchases. If storing information, ensure you follow best privacy practices and explain how you keep it secure. Use as few fields as possible to gather the initial data.

3. Take Security Seriously

People share their information when they trust you to secure it from hackers. As around 57% of Americans fear financial scams, it’s important to show you’re being proactive about their security. Show them you have an SSL certificate installed and share a privacy policy.

Include what data you collect, why, how you store it and the measures to keep information safe from hackers. Ask only for the information you must have to complete an order and conduct business efficiently.

4. Test for Responsiveness

Many companies design shopping carts for desktops and add mobile features as a secondary option. With so many people using their devices to access the internet, you must ensure your website functions for smartphone users.

The app server you choose can impact the responsiveness of your page. When someone pulls up the mobile app, the server processes their request, authenticates the user and grabs essential data.

Ensure your site loads fast. Mobile users often access a page when they have a few extra minutes. If your site bogs down or throws up blank pages, they’ll likely bounce away and may never return.

5. Rework Error Messages

Customers who do something unexpected might receive an error message from your site. One example would be someone needing to share their mailing address. If you set the form so it is a required field, the user gets an error message if the form field is empty.

The words you use to direct customers to complete the task correctly can make a difference in whether they fill in the required data or abandon their cart. Statista found that 17% of people abandoned their orders because a website had errors or crashed.

Make error messages succinct and descriptive so the user knows what to do next. Avoid confusion, as you’re more likely to lose a potential customer when they don’t understand the problem.

6. Offer Additional Payment Options

People have different experiences with online payment providers. If they once had an issue with a service, they’d be reluctant to use it again. Your best bet is to offer them options, such as PayPal, Stripe or manually inputting their credit card information.

Offer as many options as possible without driving yourself crazy by managing dozens of payment accounts.

Perfect Your Mobile Buyer’s Journey

More customers use handheld devices throughout all sales funnel stages. The easier it is for them to click and buy on your mobile payments page, the higher your conversion rates will be. Look at the site through the lens of a smartphone or tablet. Fix any issues that create errors or bottlenecks on your site. With some refinement, your mobile conversion rates may surpass your desktop ones.

6 Unique Considerations When Designing a Website for a Physical Retail Store

Author: Eleanor Hecks

Does a brick-and-mortar store need a website? The short answer is yes. People often begin their search for local businesses online, read reviews, see store hours and collect other data before frequenting a physical establishment. 

Design a website to showcase the unique features of a physical store by considering these topics.

1. Focus on User Experiences

The goal of a website for a physical retail store is to drive foot traffic to a real-life location. If users have a poor experience on your site, they’re unlikely to visit your storefront. 

Your first concern should be creating a website that provides an excellent user experience (UX). However, you must also share what kind of UX the customer might have inside your store. Add an events page so potential shoppers can see upcoming happenings they might want to attend. Showcase photos of your store’s features that no others in your industry offer. 

A Statista report found that 32% of U.S. adults rely on reviews from other customers to gather data on a product. Allow shoppers to post reviews and testimonials singing your praises. Adding transparency through feedback allows visitors to trust your brand and shows people what their peers think.

2. List Location and Hours

Unless you plan to set up an e-commerce store, the goal of your website should be to drive foot traffic to your brick-and-mortar shop. Some ways you can engage site visitors and encourage them to visit include:

  • Set up an interactive map showing your locations.
  • Keep mobile convenience in mind, such as a single click of a phone icon to call the store.
  • List what days and times your store is open. Be sure to update the page for special events, holidays and other changes. 

Update your Google Business and Facebook page to match your website so everything is consistent. 

3. Offer a Virtual Tour

Put yourself in the shoes of an average shopper. Let’s say her name is Lauren, and she is a working mother of twins and a 10-month-old baby. She has exactly 15 minutes after work to pop in and buy the item she saw on your website before picking the baby up from day care, getting the twins off the school bus and starting dinner for the family.

She wants to know the layout of your store so she can walk in, grab her item, check out and be on her way in under a quarter of an hour. Offering a virtual tour on your site lets her browse for the item she wants. It’s a good idea to provide an inventory-checking tool so she can ensure it is currently available. Lauren can see the store’s layout in advance, saving her minutes when she arrives. 

4. Focus on Omnichannel Experiences

Consumers still make around 79% of purchases in physical stores. While some people shop for more items online than in the past, they want to see and touch before they buy. They also like the convenience of instantly purchasing something at a local retailer rather than waiting for it to arrive via a delivery service. 

Think through how you can create an omnichannel experience for users. For example, John Doe enters your clothing store and buys a shirt for an upcoming event. When he gets home, he realizes two buttons are missing near the bottom. He should be able to call your store, contact you through your website or chat on social media to find a solution.

No matter how he contacts the business, the response and policies should be the same. He should only have to state his concern once rather than repeating it at each touchpoint. You may need to install customer relationship management software to ensure he has the best experience possible. 

5. Create Offline Only Offers

Use your website to drive traffic to your store by creating offline-only specials. Perhaps you sell some items via your site’s digital storefront. Reserve some of the most popular ones for in-store purchases. New arrivals and seasonal deals make natural choices for offline specials. 

If you plan to run an e-commerce store, offer a few online-only offers. Allow customers to pick up the item in the physical location to avoid shipping costs. You can also expand your sales by letting brick-and-mortar customers order an out-of-stock item while in the store and shipping it to them.

Measuring a successful conversion is challenging when people conduct research online for local businesses. Offer codes they can grab on the website to see how many of your first-time buyers start online. 

6. Optimize Local SEO

Think With Google’s 2024 Retail Guide indicates that the buyer journey is becoming more complex. Around 60% of consumers now perform six or more actions before reaching the decision stage. Many of their searches start on websites and by reading reviews. 

It’s wise to optimize your website for local SEO by using phrases such as “near city, state.” You’ll need to dig into some keyword research to determine what keywords people use and how best to meet their intent through your content. 

Return on Investment (ROI) Matters

It can be complex to determine how beneficial an online presence is for brick-and-mortar stores. Since every dollar counts, ROI is crucial to ongoing success. Measuring results requires forward thinking. You must consider brand image and awareness as part of ongoing business costs.

Your website should bring in new people and attract reviews and repeat visits from current customers. How well you promote the site depends on your marketing efforts and consistently improving consumer engagement.

Could Your Site’s UX Be Harming Your Employee Retention?

Author: Eleanor Hecks

Employees engage with your website and databases regularly. If the user experience (UX) impacts workflow or productivity, they may grow aggravated. In a world where staff shortages are a valid concern, any minor aggravation can lead to people quitting, going to a competitor, or striking out on their own. If you want to reduce churn, look at your website’s UX and then expand the review to the UX of all tools they use.

These tools should run smoothly — otherwise, you risk numerous situations that can harm UX and frustrate team members. Frustrated workers tend to consider leaving for a better position elsewhere. If you want to keep top talent, strive to make them happy even in the small daily tasks. Here are some of the poor UX elements that might impact your staff.

1. Slow Page Loading

Tooltester.com looked at over four billion websites and found website conversion rates drop by 4.42% for every second of load time. The average load time for desktop is 2.25 seconds and 8.6 seconds for mobile.

One example of how a slow-loading website might impact your workers is if it takes a long time to boot up. Employee workflow gets disrupted as they wait for crucial details to load.

A customer service rep may have to deal with frustrated clients, as it takes longer to solve problems and get to the root of issues. The entire process makes your company look less efficient. Slow speeds can disrupt productivity tracking numbers for an otherwise hardworking staff member.

Spend the funds to optimize your website speed to keep people engaged. Data should appear almost instantly on any query so people can work without waiting.

2. Mobile Unfriendliness

If every second of load time reduces conversions, and your mobile site takes too long to load, you wind up with frustrated clients your employees have to attend to on service calls. A poor UX impacts everyone from the person trying to use the site from their mobile device to the associate helping an irate buyer.

Image being on the customer service team and getting call after call from people frustrated with the poor experience on mobile devices. You apologize to them, but the situation never changes, so they are still upset the next time they phone with a similar issue.

Churn in the customer service department is at an all-time high, and this churn rate could in part be due to a lack of excellent UX. Fix the issue by testing extensively. Ensure your website is responsive to various screen sizes, from smartphones to tablets.

3. Increased Interruptions

Poor UX can lead to additional interruptions. Employees may feel overwhelmed by juggling their workload while dealing with a temperamental website or database tools. While the average worker already gets interrupted approximately 50 times daily by coworkers and bosses, you now must add customers calling in because of poor UX.

For example, if a customer-facing website regularly goes down, clients might call their point of contact, further disrupting productivity. If the design needs to be more straightforward, less tech-savvy visitors may need someone to walk them through the process of using the site. The disruptions can eat into the amount of work completed in a day.

Sites that take too long to get to the point with clutter and distractions lead to poor UX. Clean up your front-facing site and keep only the essential elements. Make sure everything is clear and refine processes for shoppers.

4. Poor Navigation

Complex navigation leads to confusion for everyone, so limit the main categories to a handful and utilize subcategories for other tasks. The average team member is busy from the time they arrive at work until they leave. Small things such as navigation slow them down from going directly to the tool they need and can create bottlenecks.

Imagine doing your best every day and swatting away the minor frustrations of poor UX. Yet, you fail to earn a bonus because the tools you used slowed down your productivity and impacted your work. It is a recipe for losing a valued staff member.

Stronger, more intuitive navigation helps everyone on the team. Consider customized options based on the job description.

5. Lack of Security

Remote workers often worry about the personal security of using their own machines or exposing the business to hackers if using a corporate computer. There is a fine line between a ridiculous amount of security checks and enough for safety, but employees recognize the importance of firewalls and authentication methods.

The multi-factor authentication market is at $19.02 billion and growing. Your settings can mean the difference between a good UX for your staff and a poor one. For example, having to verify who they are every time they navigate to a new area of the site delays critical tasks.

Authentication should happen occasionally to ensure the person is who they say they are and the site is secure. Survey your workers to find out how frequently they should input a code or other verifying info without driving them batty.

6. Broken Pages and Links

Is your site and system riddled with old links that no longer work? As businesses grow, they update folders and file names, so it is easy to lose track of old links. Staff save crucial locations to their bookmarks to conserve time and navigate to where they need to be quickly.

Broken pages and links can frustrate employees beyond measure by slowing them down and making tasks take longer. Use a broken link checker on the website’s backend to locate issues. Add a reporting tool and let people note when something does not work as expected.

7. Accessibility Issues

Your team members have different abilities. A site that does not take someone who is colorblind or has physical needs into account might frustrate a percentage of your workers. They will leave for an enterprise willing to adapt so they can better complete their daily tasks.

Follow the Americans With Disabilities Act standards for your website. Go through a design checklist to ensure your site has alt tags, excellent contrast between the background and the text, and works with voice readers and commands.

Improve UX and Improve Employee Retention

In a world where people are open to changing jobs and competition for them is at an all-time high, anything you can do to decrease churn is a positive. Brands have complete control over their website design and which tools they use for project management. Talk to your workers about their preferences, make any necessary changes to improve productivity and reduce frustration, and watch your retention rates improve.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine, where she covers web design, development, and business leadership topics. You can also find her work as a writer for publications like Clutch.co and Web Designer Depot.